Running away
by El loopy
Summary: Potential missing scene from episode 2x13 'A Good Day to Die'. Ella goes to congratulate the hero and finds him packing... Oneshot.


Running away

He was packing slowly, methodically, each item folded with extra care into the suitcase. It was taking him a while but he just couldn't make himself speed up. There were weights on his ankles, and a load on his chest.

The lift pinged but he ignored it. Mazikeen and Amenadiel knew better than to interrupt him at the moment. Humans however…

"Well, I _had_ come here to congratulate the hero…"

He turned sharply at the voice to find Ella standing in the doorway, one hand on her hip, head tilted.

"…but now I'm not so sure he is."

Lucifer smile was forced.

"Well, I'm glad I could assist in ridding you of that delusion," he replied with a self-deprecating under current, before turning back to his task. "Don't slam the lift on the way out."

He should have known better than to think he could get rid of Ella so easily.

"Dude," he could hear the raised eyebrows, "you are running away."

That got his attention. "I am the Devil," he turned back with a raised voice, eyes flashing (although not red), "the Ruler of Hell. I do not _run_."

She was giving him her best eyelids half-shut, lips pouted, you're-not-fooling-me look, both hands now on hips. "Uh huh. Looks an awful lot like running to me."

"Yes…well…what would you know," he replied, half-faltering, half sneering.

Her hands fell from her hips. "More than _you_ think, actually." There was regret in her voice he would have liked to unpick but that would have defeated the object. Ella stepped further into the penthouse, to his annoyance.

"Bags packed." She pointed. "Cell phone switched off." She pointed again. "Oh, yeah, and let's not forget, not saying goodbye to people." She waved a hand directly in front of his face, clearly annoyed, "Buh bye!"

He grabbed her hand and put it to one side. "Don't do that again."

She stepped back with a huff. "I'm a Forensic Scientist. I do this for a living. I look at evidence and call a spade a spade."

"Yes, well, I call a spade a useful implement for murdering interfering Forensic Scientists." He was well and truly irritated now, but so was she.

"Doesn't change the fact you are running away."

She didn't understand, Chloe wasn't going to either, nobody would, and he couldn't tell them.

"I mean, I don't get it dude. You go to hell and back to get that formula and save Decker's life…" he looked at her so startled she threw her hands in the air. "Whoa. An expression." He felt deflated. "Anyway, you go through…whatever you went through…" she gave him a look that asked for him to tell her what he did and why he had looked like death when he had shakily handed her the paper. He ignored it. "…to save her life and then you leave town. Why? I thought you two were all like…"

The way he was looking at her made her trail off. Ella had never seen him appear so…broken. She was missing something. She hated that.

"What's going on Lucifer?" Her tone was still demanding but somehow softer, and that vulnerable part of him, the part that Chloe had opened a door to, responded. This human he felt affinity with, who had trusted him when he asked her to do shady-looking work for him, who hugged him at a moment's notice and had taken him into a church of all places, he wanted to tell her.

"It wasn't real." It tumbled out before he could stop it.

She raised her eyebrows. "Okay…why?"

He shut his eyes with a frown, forcing the words out. "My Father made it happen."

"Your Father?" she sounded incredulous, then, "oh, right, you mean God."

She was sort of grinning and he opened his eyes to glare at her.

"Yes. _Him._ "

"So, you think it's not real because God put you together?"

"Yes," he drew it out, exasperated. "He made her for me, put her there for me, to make me vulnerable, to manipulate me."

"He made her for you?" She went a bit starry-eyed. "That's pretty romantic." She grinned a little then it faded. "Why do you think it's a bad thing?"

He stalled, stuttered, couldn't work out if she was serious, but she was looking at him seriously.

"Because it's manipulation," he said slowly, like she was an especially stupid child. "He is manipulating me like he always does," his voice dropped quieter, "always has."

"You have serious issues with God," she said first, almost impressed, before adding, "but I don't see the problem. It sounds like God has given you a gift, you know." Lucifer was staring at her slightly scarily. "I mean, look," she continued, a little unnerved, "you never looked at other women, well, properly, you know, except Chloe. God made her so that you would, so that you could _be_ with someone." She punctuated this with jabbing her hands in the air but his expression made her drop them in exasperation, and a little fear. His jaw was locked, his eyes slightly glazed as though close to tears, but every inch controlled anger.

"You need to leave now."

"Right," Ella shrugged, "'K fine. It's your place…" She paused and looked around thoughtfully. "You _are_ keeping it, aren't you?"

" _Now_ , Miss Lopez."

He followed her to the lift, as though to make sure she was definitely leaving. She turned back just inside the door.

"Think about what I've said…"

He was still glaring.

"As though a fan of my Dad is ever going to understand."

She sighed. "I'm a fan of you and Chloe."

"Of course you are," he replied sharply, "because He is."

Ella shook her head and put a hand lightly on his arm, looking up into his face.

"Go and do what you have to," she said quietly, "just don't be gone too long." Abruptly as ever she tackled him in a hug, which he stood frozen under. "Oh," she drew back, "and please tell Chloe you're going." He did not answer. She knew he would not lie. The lift doors slid shut between them leaving her feeling sad and heavy.

Lucifer smashed a glass.


End file.
